History of World Traffic

Automobile Down the Ages

As wheel got invented in the Mesopotamian Civilization, our own civilization was set to motion, for it wheeled our History of World Traffic imaginations.
In 1645 a sort of cycle was invented by Jean Theson but it had no Brakes, Pedal or Steering and needed feet motion. Laufmachine cycle was then created by Karl Von (1817). Soon this was made into the regal Dandy Horse by Dennis Johnson. In 1839 the proper cycle was shaped by K. Macmillan. It had iron wheels and a wooden frame. The manifestation of automobile horse-power was taught in 1769 by Nicolas Joseph Cugnot, who invented the first ‘Steam Truck’ which the French army thought was useful.
Then after, automobiles enveloped our life and culture. But the notion called ‘accident’ endangered our future. The first accident of the Steam Truck in 1771 was the eye opener.
During 1899 the first fatal accident took place with the death of a driver. Then onward, the world coined several road safety measures. Still, the present scenario is such that 5 lakh people are killed and millions are injured all over the world every year in road accidents.
This accident menace makes our children an endangered species of the future. So let us teach our children, the Road Safety Culture. Today’s informed child only can ensure a safe future.

The First in the History of World Traffic

The First Accident
In 1771 the first accident involving a motor vehicle took place in Paris when Cugnot’s steam tractor hit a low wall in the grounds of the Paris arsenal.

The First Act
The Locomotives and Highway Act was the first piece of British motoring legislation. This was also known as the Red Flag Act of 1865. The act required three persons in attendance one to steer, one to stoke and one to walk 60 yards ahead with a red flag to warn the oncoming traffic.

The First Number of the World
The world’s first car number plates were issued by the French police in 1893.

The First Man to be Challaned
In 1895 John Henry Knight was convicted and fined for using a motor-tricycle on the highway. He was probably the first motorist to appear in court.

First Fatal Car Accident
The first motor-car accident in Britain resulting in the death of the driver occurred in Grove Hill, Harrow-on-the Hill, London, on 25th February 1899.

Dusty Road to Tar Surface
In 1902 Tar was first used on a Macadam surface to prevent dust in Monte Carlo. It was the idea of Dr. Guglielminetti, a Swiss. At first the tar was brushed in cold, but soon it was applied hot.

The Motor Car Act
The Motor Car Act of Britain came into force on 1st January 1904. It required that all cars be registered and carry a number plate, and all motorists to have a driving licence. But there was no driving test to pass and the licence was obtained by filing up a form and paying the fee at a post office. The act made dangerous driving an indictable offence.

The First Petrol Pump
The first petrol pump was installed in USA in 1906.

The First Traffic Light of the World
The World’s first traffic lights were installed in Detroit, USA in 1919. The first traffic lights in Britain were installed in Wolverhampton during 1928. However, they did not come to London till 1932.

Pedestrian Crossing
The pedestrian crossing were instituted in Britain in 1934. The roads were marked by dotted lines. On the pavement there were striped Belisha beacon light poles named after Britain’s Minister of Transport L. Hore-Belisha. The Zebra crossing with black and white stripes was developed after the second world war.

First Traffic Police Woman
Police women were used for traffic control duties for the first time in Paris in 1964. In Delhi we introduced women traffic police in 1989.

First Box Junction
Box junctions, marked with yellow cross-hatching, were introduced in London during 1964. The aim was to prevent traffic blocking junctions when it could not proceed and this was successful.